水性轮转凹印油墨在PET和BOPP基材上印刷的对比研究

采用凹印机（最大速度500m／min）在PET（聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯）和BOPP（双向拉伸聚丙烯）承印物上进行印刷试验,以研究高速凹版印刷下油墨的转移情况和印刷适性。将水性油墨用酒精稀释后,在特定的印刷速度、印刷压力和网穴尺寸等多种印刷设备条件下对柔性承印物进行印刷。采用光学显微镜、UV可见光谱仪和原子力显微镜（AFM）测量印刷图像和油墨转移率。通过对界面张力、黏度以及油墨与承印物之间润湿角的测量与评价,定量分析它们对印刷特性的影响。实验结果表明,影响印刷特性的最重要的因素是油墨黏度、表面张力和界面张力。稀释后的油墨在PET和BOPP薄膜上的铺展系数都小于零,也就是说油墨难以在二者上顺利铺展,因此,扩散可能是由于剪切力导致油墨流动。显微镜或光谱仪测量表明,在各种试验印刷设备条件下,印刷速度不会对PET薄膜上印刷图像的均匀性和色度产生很大影响,而BOPP薄膜上的图像质量则在很大程度上依赖于转速。两者存在差异的主要原因在于BOPP薄膜多孔表面的毛细管堵塞导致油墨的铺展能力降低。此外,网穴尺寸（网点百分比）增大导致色度增大,其原因在于油墨和承印物间的接触面积变大。尤其对于BOPP薄膜来说,其印刷图像的色度会随着网点百分比的增大而线性增大。应该指出,在相同的稀释条件和设备条件下,较之PET薄膜来说,BOPP薄膜上的印刷图像的色度与墨层厚度远远高于PET薄膜。BOPP与PET薄膜在油墨转移率上的较大差异也许可以在一定程度上解释两者在界面张力上的差异,以及BOPP承印物上的吸收现象。     

Conditions of Successful Land Reform: A Study of Micronesia

During the twentieth century Japan and the United States attempted land reform in Micronesia. Japan was more successful because a growing population had led to an increasing demand for agricultural products, which could only be met by expanding agriculture across its empire. This required investment in land reform to transfer ownership from common to private rights. Conversely, the Americans faced no such domestic pressures, valuing Micronesia only for its strategic location and military testing. We formulate a model to examine the outcomes of Micronesian land reform under the long‐sighted policy of the Japanese compared with short‐sighted approach of the Americans.     

Energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and economic growth: evidence from Indonesia

Energy policy-makers in Indonesia are interested in the causal relationship between energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and economic growth. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze the short- and long-run causality issues between energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, and economic growth in Indonesia using time-series techniques. To this end, annual data covering the period 1965–2006 are employed and tests for unit roots, co-integration, and Granger-causality based on an error-correction model are applied. The results show that there is a bi-directional causality between energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. This means that an increase in energy consumption directly affects CO₂ emissions and that CO₂ emissions also stimulate further energy consumption. In addition, the results support the occurrence of uni-directional causality running from economic growth to energy consumption and to CO₂ emissions without any feedback effects. Thus, energy conservation and/or CO₂ emissions reduction policies can be initiated without the consequent destructive economic side effects.     

Comparison of economic and clinical outcomes between patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery with powered versus manual endoscopic surgical staplers

Aims: To compare economic and clinical outcomes between patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRY) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) with use of powered vs manual endoscopic surgical staplers.

Materials and methods: Patients (aged ≥21 years) who underwent LRY or LSG during a hospital admission (January 1, 2012–September 30, 2015) were identified from the Premier Perspective Hospital Database. Use of powered vs manual staplers was identified from hospital administrative billing records. Multivariable analyses were used to compare the following outcomes between the powered and manual stapler groups, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics and hospital-level clustering: hospital length of stay (LOS), total hospital costs, medical/surgical supply costs, room and board costs, operating room costs, operating room time, discharge status, bleeding/transfusion during the hospital admission, and 30, 60, and 90-day all-cause readmissions.

Results: The powered and manual stapler groups comprised 9,851 patients (mean age?=?44.6 years; 79.3% female) and 21,558 patients (mean age?=?45.0 years; 78.0% female), respectively. In the multivariable analyses, adjusted mean hospital LOS was 2.1 days for both the powered and manual stapler groups (p?=?.981). Adjusted mean total hospital costs ($12,415 vs $13,547, p?=?.003), adjusted mean supply costs ($4,629 vs $5,217, p?=?.011), and adjusted mean operating room costs ($4,126 vs $4,413, p?=?.009) were significantly lower in the powered vs manual stapler group. The adjusted rate of bleeding and/or transfusion during the hospital admission (2.46% vs 3.22%, p?=?.025) was significantly lower in the powered vs manual stapler group. The adjusted rates of 30, 60, and 90-day all-cause readmissions were similar between the groups (all p?>?.05). Sub-analysis by manufacturer showed similar results.

Limitations: This observational study cannot establish causal linkages.

Conclusions: In this analysis of patients who underwent LRY or LSG, the use of powered staplers was associated with better economic outcomes, and a lower rate of bleeding/transfusion vs manual staplers in the real-world setting.     

Do Analysts Strategically Employ Cash Flow Forecast Revisions to Offset Negative Earnings Forecast Revisions?

We investigate whether analysts use cash flow forecasts to reduce the impact of earnings forecast revisions (EFRs) on market participants. In particular, we focus on conflict between an analyst's concurrent cash flow and earnings forecast revisions. We hypothesize and find that analysts are more likely to issue a positive cash flow forecast revision when they issue a negative earnings forecast revision concurrently, but not the opposite, particularly for Fortune 500 firms. Furthermore, our supplementary analyses suggest that (1) some analysts optimistically bias cash flow forecasts when they issue negative earnings forecast revisions; (2) the market pays less attention to the historical accuracy of analyst cash flow forecasts, so analysts have some latitude to present their cash flow forecasts in an optimistic way; and (3) the market reacts mainly to the direction, not the magnitude, of cash flow forecast revisions. Overall, these findings suggest that analysts may strategically use cash flow forecasts in conjunction with earnings forecasts to maintain good management relationships.     

“How may I help you?” Politeness in computer-mediated and face-to-face library reference transactions

Drawing upon Wittgenstein’s theory of language games, we apply a pragmatic approach to organizational communication. The study extends current theories of computer-mediated communication, and explores how language actually gets used across media. We conduct a comparative study of face-to-face versus computer-mediated reference transactions in an academic library, and analyze people’s use of politeness strategies. The study observes that people use politeness strategies to play different language games across media, and that a dynamic interplay exists among the three constituents of language games: sense making, language use, and forms of life. In particular, we found that: First, people use significantly more negative politeness strategies and fewer positive politeness strategies online than face-to-face. Second, language use influences people’s understanding and precedes practical forms of life. Third, CMC is a different form of life than a face-to-face communication. The new online form of life shapes people’s sense making and the way they use language, resulting in emerging new grammars of CMC. Finally, our findings suggest the interplay among multiple forms of life. This study offers important theoretical and managerial implications for organizational communication and the production and delivery of services in the rapidly expanding digital economy.     

Hedonic shopping motivation and co-shopper influence on utilitarian grocery shopping in superstores

Much prior literature has focused on how hedonic shopping motivation operates in hedonic shopping environments such as shopping malls, but few empirical studies have assessed hedonic shopping motivation effects in utilitarian shopping environments. Combining a field survey (Study 1) with observation using video ethnography (Study 2), our research addresses this issue. Our results empirically reveal how, through both psychological and behavioral routes, hedonic shopper motivation affects purchases in a utilitarian shopping environment, specifically a section of a superstore selling predominantly utilitarian products. Hedonic shopping motivation is found to induce consumer impulsiveness (psychological route) while also encouraging shoppers to stay longer in a store (behavioral route), which when combined result in greater consumer purchases than either route alone. Additionally we observe a moderating effect of co-shopper influences on these two routes. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Modeling the short-run costs of changes in water availability in a desert city: a modified input-output approach

This paper investigates the impact of change in sectoral water supply on employment, value-added output, and indirect business tax, in Maricopa County, Arizona using input–output model. We developed extended modified input–output approach that incorporates each source of water as a separate sector, and that allows for substitution between water sources, and estimated the economic impact of a change in surface water supplies under two scenarios. Scenario I assumes that total water supply/use decreases by 1%, but the reduction comes only from surface water use, holding groundwater use constant. Scenario II assumes that surface water supply/use in all industries decreases by 1%, and the reduction in surface water use is replaced by the exact amount of more expensive groundwater. We found that the magnitude of economic impact depends on consumer’s responsiveness to water price change. When price elasticity of water demand is relatively low (≤0.2), the economic impact of a 1% reduction in surface water supplies was smaller than under the first scenario. However, the more water users in all industries are responsive to a change in water price, the bigger are economic impacts in terms of reductions in jobs, value added, and indirect business taxes.